Chinese Mobile TV Decision Favors TV Stations

There’s some more analysis of China’s decision to enforce its homegrown mobile TV standard. Apparently it will allow the state-owned television services to broadcast directly to mobile phones, effectively cutting operators out of the action. Man, that would raise some pretty serious hackles. “The new mobile television licence may trigger competition between mobile operators and broadcasters in the future but it will depend on the official direction,” a spokesman for one mobile television licensee said. Broadcasters can promote services on their own, he said…In China, broadcasters such as China Central Television, Shanghai Media, Guangdong-based Southern Media Group and radio broadcaster China Radio International, all have the licences to provide new media services such as mobile television.”
Of course, there are two main benefits to mobile TV — mobility and interactivity. Without an upstream to go along with the broadcast signal the service won’t be making full use of the possibilities, and for the upstream the broadcasters will need carriers. The article also refers to the standard as CMMB, a term I haven’t come across before.

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